NFL DRAFT: Bucs select defensive stars Rueben Bain Jr., Josiah Trotter, among others

TAMPA, Fla. — The 2026 NFL Draft began Thursday night, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected various defensive stars, including Rueben Bain Jr. Follow along as the draft progresses for the latest on rumors, trades and analysis.

BUCS 2026 DRAFT PICKS

Round 1: Pick 15 (15) - Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, University of Miami
Round 2: Pick 14 (46) - Josiah Trotter, LB, University of Missouri
Round 3: Pick 13 (84) - Ted Hurst, WR, Gerogia State
Round 4: Pick 16 (116) - Keionte Scott, DB, University of Miami
Round 5: Pick 15 (155) - DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson University
Round 5: Pick 20 (160) - Billy Schrauth, G, University of Notre Dame
Round 6: Pick 4 (185) - Bauer Sharp, TE, Louisiana State University

SATURDAY

UPDATE: 4:10 p.m.
The Bucs draft Bauer Sharp, a tight end from Louisiana State University.

UPDATE: 4:00 p.m.
The Bucs have traded two picks with the Las Vegas Raiders: Round 6 pick 195 and Round 7 pick 229 for Round 6 pick 185.

Spytek 🤝 LichtTrade details ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/QhdYQl0sYB

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 25, 2026

UPDATE: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Bucs draft defensive back Keionte Scott from University of Miami with the 116th pick, defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart of Clemson with the 155th pick and Billy Schrauth at 160, a guard from Notre Dame.

Jason Licht is COOKING with this class 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z0Zga8Cu7c

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 25, 2026

FRIDAY

UPDATE: 10:25 p.m.
The Bucs draft wide receiver Ted Hurst from Georgia State University with the 84th pick.

UPDATE: 10:00 p.m.

The Bucs trade Round 3 pick 77 with the Green Bay Packers and get picks 84 in the 3rd round and 160 in the 5th.

Trade with @packers 🤝 pic.twitter.com/HVxDEo6HRo

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 25, 2026

UPDATE: 8:00 p.m.

With the 46th pick, the Bucs draft linebacker Josiah Trotter from the University of Missouri.

UPDATE: 7:50 p.m.

Bucs post video of Rueben Bain Ju. reacting to his Draft walk.

UPDATE: 6 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers introduced Rueben Bain Jr. at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

WATCH full press conference

THURSDAY

UPDATE: 11 p.m.
Tampa Bay 28's Kevin Lewis explains the impact Rueben Bain Jr. will have on the Bucs.

UPDATE: 9:40 p.m.
With the 15th pick, the Bucs have selected defensive star Rueben Bain Jr. from the University of Miami.

UPDATE: 7 p.m.
Sports anchor Kyle Burger is live in St. Pete for the Bucs block party. He says we can expect the Bucs' pick around 9:30 p.m.

UPDATE: 6:00 p.m.
Kyle Burger is in downtown St. Pete at the Bucs draft night block party, speaking with fans and exploring various vendors.

UPDATE: 5:00 p.m.

Kevin Lewis was live with a preview of tonight's draft and who may end up in Tampa Bay. The Bucs have signs pointing to selecting a defensive player, but an offensive player isn't completely out of the question — a tight end, maybe, for example.

UPDATE: 2 p.m.

From Tampa Bay 28 sports anchor Kevin Lewis:

The Bucs' primary needs are on the defensive side of the ball. The top of their wish list could include Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain, Jr., but he might be gone by the time pick number 15 rolls around. Fellow Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor might still be around if the Bucs indeed go with defense. Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is widely regarded as the best available player at his position. He had an impressive showing at the NFL combine and could be a nice addition to the pass-catching core in the wake of Mike Evans’ departure.

Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht is open to trading down to a later pick, but he says finding a trade partner is always easier than it sounds. Licht is consistent ahead of every draft. He says if the highest-rated player on the draft board is available, they will pick him- regardless of need.

“I have no problem – no problem – if we view the player as a high-end, very high-end talent that's going to make an impact at some point. I have no problem," he said at last week’s pre-draft press conference.

Teams will have 8 minutes between picks in tonight’s first round. That’s down from 10 minutes a year ago.

UPDATE: 11:30 a.m.

The final mock draft on Buccaneers.com has Bucs getting Edge rusher Akheem Mesidor from Miami. Mesidor spent four years with the Hurricanes and two with West Virginia.

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Where can I watch the draft?

Coverage will be live on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network

Round 1: Thursday, April 23, 8 p.m.

Rounds 2 and 3: Friday, April 24, 7 p.m.

Rounds 4 through 7: Saturday, April 25, from noon to 7 p.m.